Connecticut western news., 1887-06-08
TEACHING THE BLIND.
A Reporters Visit to a School
 of Sightless Pupils.

A Reporters Visit to School
 of Sightless Pupils. Interesting Facts About the Blind that are not Generally Known
 A New York Sun reporter has been visiting school for the blind. We quote from his interesting account:
 The superintendent was announced. The reporter turned to the blind ladies and thanked them for their courtesy. He unconsciously bowed low to their unsecing eyes, as men nod ard gesticu- late at the telephone. Turning to Will liam B. Wait he looked with much GU riosity into his eyes. They were the eyes that did tho seeing for 500 sightless, human beings. Wonderful eyes they are, bcaming with kindliness nd intelli- gence, with merry wrinkles lurking in the corners, and conveying a remarkable impression of depth, as if they were storehouses for others visions. The su- pcrintendent said that there are 250 pupils in the building, and that the main hall can seat 750.
 'What is the proportion of blind per sons to the total population2"
 About one in every 1000 for this lati- tude. This holds good throughout America and Europe. When you get in Africa, where there is sand; or in the mining regions, where accidents abound :; or in extreme northern attitudes, where the glare from ice and snow dazzles, the proportion is greater.
 "Whom do you receive hereT'
 "We take children of eight and over, and we give them an education. We do not take grown persons. Most of those have obtained their education before they become blind. Two impressions prevail about blind persons. People will read of the remarkable exploits of man like Fawcett, and they will conclude that all blind persons are wonderfully gifted. Then they will see some blind persons who have not been educated, and they will con clude that all blind persons are helpless. The truth is, blind persons who get their education in institutions for the blind can be developed into won derful proficiency, but those who have received their education before they be- came blind have hard work all their life"
 "What proportion of the blind do the institutions deal with 2'' -.
 ''It is very much smaller than people have any idea of. The number of blind persons under ten years of ago is only ? per cent. of the whole number; be- tween 10 and 20 years, 13 per cent; be- tween 20 and 50, 30 per cent; and over 60 years, 50 per cent so that the mum Der of schoolable blind does not exceed 15 per cent. from which it appears that 7s out of 100 of the blind get their cdu- cation and training in schools for the seeing if at all."
 "Are the other senses more largely developed by the loss of the sight9"
 ''The capacity for general develop ment is diminished in proportion to the importance of the faculty that is lost il an unaidcd condition. When the loss i supplemented by proper means and ap pliauces of instruction, then blind per son, the mind being unaffected, is yet susceptible to the highest development This is shown by the attainments of mcr in practical life such as Fawcett, Selli: the remarkably successful furniture mar of Newburgh, and Saunderson, who wat blind at four years of age, but who sue ceeded Sir Isaac Newton, as professor ot mathematics at Cambridge"
 "What faculties and senses arc most developed to replace the lost oncp'
 ''Memory and the sense of hearing They have to rely upon them more. Hearing can be developed so finely that they can tell whether furniture has beer taken out of room and replaced witf new, and know when the location o furniture has been changed. In walking along the sidewalk they can tell wher they come near post"
 "That must be sort of nervephone isn't it2"
 q can't say what it is that enable them to detect the past, but they can d. it."
 "Can they detect colors by the touch as is claimed2"
 "Pcople humbug themselves abou that. In very coarse fabrics, like jute the blind can sometimes tell the color b. the feel of the texture that is change, by tho coloring matter. But they can not detect color in glass. People SC them asserting colorcd beads. It is no the color but the size that enables ther to put them in the right boxes."
 ''Do tho blind have any idea c color2"
 "Where they have been blind fror childhood they have none. What other have is a matter of memory. When tn optic nerves are gone everything is g black as tar to them"